Ignorance
by Winged Lady Colette
Summary: All she ever wanted to do was help people. And now she's going to get the chance. His death offers a new beginning. Time Travel.
1. Death

**Author's Note: I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. I know what you're thinking. If any of you have followed any of my stories, you'll know that inspiration hits in waves. I am excited about this story and I know that this chapter isn't all that good and tense changes are purposeful, but I promise, it's only this chapter it's going to be this hectic. At least, for the foreseeable future. I promise the story will start getting better. Let me know what you think! Enjoy!**

 **Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

 **Warning: OOCness, Unbeta'd, tense changes, language.**

 **Word Count: 4,924**

Padme felt cold.

She felt cold as the people rushed around her. Dimly, she remembers Dorme reaching out to her, placing a hand on Padme's thin shoulder, staring at the young senator with sad eyes. Her lips move. Padme reads them more than hears the words come from her longtime handmaiden. Something about a senatorial meeting. Someone called a meeting. A senatorial meeting.

Of course, they did. Because no one can sneeze in a ten-mile radius of the Senate building without someone having to call a meeting to talk about it. Not that anything would happen. Someone would oppose a perfectly good, and rational thought process for one thing or another and they would somehow convince enough people into following their way of thinking until the entirety of the Senate was stuck in gridlock for the next week and nothing gets done because of it. It's annoying on the best of days where she sits there, wondering how everything could have gotten so bad.

Wondering, when did everything become about money, about how people think about you. How did constituents become more important than the will of the people? When did it stop being about doing what was good for the people and did what was good for you?

But this wasn't just someone sneezing too close to the Senate building. This was something bigger, something monstrous. Something that was always a possibility and the constant threat of Separatist actions always hung over them, but somehow, she didn't think that it could ever happen. She thought... even after all of the attempts on both of their lives... she always thought that somehow he would be okay. That he would always be fine.

How could this have happened? How could it have gotten this bad?

Ever since Padme joined the royal academy as a little girl, training in a full class of boys and girls all trying to become King or Queen of Naboo. She worked hard, trained her mind and her body for the job. In class, she solidified her view on Naboo and how the world works, or how it should work became her sole focus. Padme was confident in her abilities. She was confident in what she wanted and how she wanted to go about it. She had a very clear view on right and wrong. If you do wrong, you are punished for it.

Padme remembers having a conversation with one of her teachers about her view on the world. She doesn't remember exactly what she said, but her teacher sat her down and tried to explain that not everything fits into this nifty little box that she wanted to put them. He tried hard to explain it, but as smart and as cunning as she was, even as a little girl, she wasn't able to understand. She couldn't fully grasp what her teacher was trying to tell her until years later. He was one of the first to congratulate her when she was given the position of Queen and never really said more on the matter.

But Padme remembered it and thought about it sometimes.

Naturally, once becoming Queen, Padme learned that not everything is as it appears and sometimes her strict view isn't correct or not as clear as it should be. Nothing is as clear cut as anyone would want it to be, and that's life she supposed.

Speaking of life, Padme has had a lot of time to think about that in the last few months. Well, maybe the last few years is more accurate, but the thoughts on her mortality have been in the last few months. Since the war against the Separatists began Padme hasn't been worried about her life. In the Geonosian coliseum she told Anakin the truth, she wasn't afraid to die. If death was going to come for her, she wasn't going to go without a fight, but she wasn't afraid if this moment was going to be her last.

But once the war was declared and Padme became surrounded by death as the galaxy was embroiled in war, Padme began to think more and more about it. As entire planets were overrun by battle droids. Millions of refugees fleeing across the galaxy chased from their homes by one side or the other. The Jedi fighting desperately to restore order while everything is falling apart around them.

Padme doesn't know when it started happening - the ire toward the Jedi. But before she knew it, there were active protests all across Coruscant. People going so far as to stand outside the steps leading up to the Jedi Temple screaming and yelling all hours of the day, harassing any and all Jedi that passes through. Eventually, the Coruscanti defense force had to be called in to keep civilians away. Or, at least at a safe distance so they couldn't just rush the Temple.

Why would people want to do that? Why were people so against the Jedi? How did it get this bad? When did they become the enemy when they were always the peacekeepers?

Padme just couldn't understand.

It had to of been steadily growing for a long time, and she just didn't notice. She would like to think that she was up to date on all the goings-on in the Republic, or at least enough to have some idea as to what's happening. But she has no idea how it got so bad. Sure, there were some questionable acts by the Jedi over the course of the war, but the Republic hasn't had completely clean hands either. And the enemy is Dooku and those that wish to hurt innocent people for greed and power. Not all the Separatists were evil or wrong in how they felt.

Padme knew that there is a way to bring both sides together again, but so many things just kept getting into the way. Peace is an option, it's always an option and Padme refused to believe that peace with the Separatists died with Mina Boltari. But those like Mina who were against this war were too afraid of Dooku and retaliation from other Senators that they won't say anything. People on both sides are afraid to act on what is right because of the tension this war has forced down on them, coupled with the corruption that is spreading through the ranks on both sides of the war.

Padme didn't want to believe that the Republic was becoming corrupt, but she couldn't continue to live with blinders on. She couldn't keep ignoring what was right in front of her. She didn't know everything going on, but she did know that something had to be done. Even if - no, _when -_ this war comes to an end, she's sure that there is going to be a long, uphill battle ahead of them to figure out how to truly approach peace. The Republic can't ignore what drove the Separatists away in the first place.

They weren't necessarily wrong in all of their arguments. They do have a point for their ire.

Throughout this war, Padme has seen the worst this galaxy has to offer. She has seen destroyed homes, raized worlds, millions of refugees flooding to safer places in the galaxy. So many people without homes, food, community. People are suffering and sending her letters begging for help. She opens up charities and petitions for relief efforts every couple of days to try and help people. She tries so hard, even going as far as the places that are hit by the war to be part of the relief herself, but she can only be in one place at a time and she's spreading herself so thin that at one point she had collapsed with a fever and was forced to stay home and miss out on an important vote.

Padme was so ashamed, she cried. This war was getting so hard to handle and it felt like everything she was doing, every step she was trying to take to help the people affected by this war, was this impossibly difficult uphill battle. Too many people who care only about their profits or their systems ignore the pleas of the misfortunate and bury their head in the sand. They won't help others and ignore their cries, but the moment the war finds its way to them, they are the first people to come crawling to the Senate and demand assistance.

Padme missed a meeting and she cried. She cried because no matter what, it didn't matter. She sent JarJar in her stead, but nothing got done. The vote came down so neatly that the Senate locked up again in debates for the thousandth time since this war began and it was _frustrating._ It seemed like no matter what, everyone was fighting her on trying to help people. So many people were starving, scared, dying and she was sitting in her room, surrounded by her nice things and the safety of her guards and the Senatorial guards that walk the halls, and she hates herself.

She isn't in the worst place she could be. She's safe. At least safe enough, and all she could do was cry. She felt pathetic and worthless and she had her handmaidens to dote on her in concern while children went without parents, wives without husbands and siblings without each other out in the galaxy. Padme is so stressed that she has to build herself just to get up in the morning. But she reminds herself what she's fighting for - who she's fighting for - and she does. She puts everything she has into every day and goes to bed with fear and anxiety, scared that she didn't do everything she could to help the people who need her the most.

So every time that Anakin comes home, she would wait anxiously in her office or her apartment until he was able to break away from the Chancellor, or the Jedi, and comes for her. She would run into his arms and hug him to her. She would breathe into the side of his neck and just _feel_ him there with her. He would wrap himself around her and hold her tight and she would feel so safe and secure. It would be like the rest of the world would fall away and she would be safe - he would be safe too, the love of her life - so long as they were together.

She would tell him she loved him and he would laugh and blue, grinning with happiness.

Those pure moments kept her going.

It's moments like that that she thinks about as the Senate argues around her. As people struggle to speak over one another, no one able to believe the news yet everyone having their own things to say. Next to Padme, Bail shares a look past her at Mon, communicating with their eyes as the Senators around them scream and yell.

Mas Amedda looks around trying to regain order, but no one was listening to him. Padme watches him for a moment. He struggling, trying to gain control over the room but he doesn't have the authoritative voice. He doesn't have the power to make them listen. Everyone is too distracted by what they are talking about, and what's going on. Everyone knows that he doesn't have any idea what's going on. He doesn't know anything more than they do. He will simply reiterate what they all already know.

The only thing that really matters.

"He's floundering," Mon says, a touch of pity in her voice. She runs her fingers through her hair, letting out a little sigh. She pulls her eyes from Bail and looks over to Mas Amedda.

Bail frowns, looking sad. He nods, interlacing his fingers on his lap. "Yeah." He looks away from the Vice-Chancellor to Padme sitting between them. Her body has always been small, but someone she seems even tinier than before. She is staring up at Mas Amedda, her dark eyes wide and bloodshot, her back straight and her hands folded neatly on her lap. She looks as regal and poised as she does every day, but there is a deep-rooted sadness in her eyes. "Padme?"

"Are you okay, Padme?" Mon asks, turning to look at the youngest of the three of them.

Padme doesn't respond, just pulls her eyes away from Mas Amedda and stares forward, not listening to anything around her as her thoughts swallow her whole.

With all of the strange and worrisome things that have happened throughout this war, Padme could probably pinpoint around the time when things started getting extraordinarily weird. It had to of been a few months ago when she noticed. She was in the meeting with Mace Windu, Yoda, and Ki-Audi Mundi when something happened. Something so powerful in its negativity that the hairs on Padme's arms stood on end. She thought at first that it was just a cold chill that washed over her, but as soon as the thought crossed her mind, all three Masters turned their eyes off into the distance, wide and concerned.

Master Yoda grabbed onto his chest and doubled over in pain. "The Dark Side... the Dark Side has swelled in power..."

They excused themselves a few moments later. Padme didn't know what to say, she just watched them run off with large, dark eyes, a strange feeling of apprehension settling in her gut as they went. She wasn't Force Sensitive, she never was and never will be, but somehow she just knew that something was wrong with Anakin. She tried to call him after they left but she didn't get a response. She held off for another day, somehow, she was an anxious mess, so the next day, when she couldn't wait a moment longer, she called again.

He picked up after the second ring. His small image appears over her holocommunicator and she could have cried at the sight of him.

"Ani? Oh, Ani! Thank goodness you're okay!" She said, walking over to the door to her office and locking the door before walking over to her desk. "I was so worried, I thought that something terrible had happened to you. Are you okay?" He doesn't respond, he just stares at her. He blinks a few times, looking her up and down as if in awe of her. Like she's something ethereal.

"Ani?" Padme whispered, stepping closer to the hologram of her beloved husband. "Anakin?"

"Padme..." he whispered, her voice like a prayer on his lips. "You are so beautiful."

"Are you okay?" She asked. She kneaded her hands in front of her. "The Jedi said there was something strong in the Dark Side or something. Anakin, I think I felt something. I just... I know it's stilly, I'm not Force Sensitive, but I was just worried about you."

Anakin stared back at her as if she was something precious. His left hand twitched and he looked down at it as if the movement offended him, before looking back at Padme. "I am okay. I am better than I have ever been in a long time. Seeing you... is like a dream. A beautiful, painful dream."

"Painful?" Padme echoed. "I'm bringing you pain?" Her thin eyebrows pulled together. There was something weird knawing at the back of her head, but she's not exactly sure what it was.

Anakin looked away, smiling thinly. He closed his eyes for a moment before looking back at her. "Yes, but I will accept the pain. I would sacrifice everything just to hold you right now."

Padme smiled a bit, unsure of how she felt about those words. "I wish you were here right now."

"Soon," he promised. "Soon we will be together and nothing will tear us apart."

"Ani, are you speaking in a Core Worlds accent?" Padme asked, realizing what the weird thing she couldn't name was. He wasn't speaking regularly.

Anakin blinked, reaching up with his hand to touch the smooth skin of his tanned throat tenderly as if he had hurt himself and was worried about aggravating it. He looked at his left hand as if he wasn't sure if it was his hand or not. He cleared his throat, gently touching the skin there before looking back at Padme. "Maybe I'm developing one..." He said slowly, his voice back to normal.

Someone spoke to Anakin somewhere off to the side where she couldn't see it, he looks over at them, listens before turning away and staring at Padme for a long moment, looking her up and down as if to commit her to memory. Padme didn't want him to go, she wanted him to stay there so that they could speak - they haven't spoken in over a month. But whatever it was, it had to of been important and who was she to stand in the way of people who needed Anakin.

"Padme..." Anakin said slowly, looking over at her.

"Go," Padme said, shaking her head and interlacing her fingers on her stomach. "I'll see you. Come to see me when you come back to Coruscant, okay?"

Anakin looked like the thought of coming to Coruscant was distasteful, but the prospect of seeing her was too much to ignore. He seemed resigned to go somewhere he didn't want to to see somehow who he wanted to see more than anything.

"I will," Anakin said.

There was a moment of pause where neither of them said anything other. They only stared at one another and Padme had to wonder if there was something more that Anakin wanted to say. But whoever was speaking to him, spoke again, and Anakin frowned before nodding slowly to Padme. "I will come to see you the moment I'm able to."

Padme nodded. "Okay. I love you."

Anakin's smile is a mixture of sultry and smooth. There was love in his eyes. "I love you too, Padme."

After they hung up, about a week later Padme got word that there was some sort of incident on Mandalore. Something about Satine being kidnapped by a red and black Zabrak. Maul. He captured Mandalore and Satine. Somehow she managed to get word to Obi-Wan. Together with Anakin, Obi-Wan staged a rescue of the Duchess. Apparently, Anakin and Obi-Wan did battle against Maul and his brother, another Zabrak by the name of Savage Opress that was once Dooku's apprentice but at some point went their separate ways.

Together, the two of them managed to save Satine, kill Savage and chase Maul off the world along with dismantling Death Watch and seize control of the planet from Prime Minister Almec. Padme gave it a few days before giving Satine a call, anxious to see if her friend was okay. Satine answered and they spent hours talking. Anakin had left Mandalore but Obi-Wan stayed behind to look after everything until they ensured there was not going to be any more riots.

They went through the normal conversation of if Satine was okay, how Mandalore was fairing, if she needed anything that all she had to do was ask and Padme would do her best to provide. Satine was thankful, smiled at the young Senator and called her a true friend before assuring her that if Mandalore needed anything that she as the Duchess couldn't provide, Padme would be the first person that she would call. It was then that Satine told Padme about the strangeness between Obi-Wan and Anakin. Apparently, while they were working together, there appeared to be some sort of odd friction between them. So bad that even Satine noticed it. They didn't come to blows or anything but there was obviously something between them that wasn't quite right.

"It's almost like they were angry at each other," Satine said, running her hand through her shoulder-length blond hair. She sighed. "Or perhaps, it was more Anakin than Obi."

Padme tilted her head. "What do you mean? Anakin seemed angry to you?"

Satine shrugged. "I don't know how to explain it. He was fluctuating back and forth between being tense, cold and angry, and the man I met a few years ago. Like there was nothing wrong. One moment he would be giving Obi-Wan the cold shoulder and the next they would be firing playful quips at one another. I don't understand what's going on with them."

"Did you speak with Obi-Wan? What did he say?" Padme asked, worried.

Satine shook her head. "Nothing. He's not sure why Anakin is so mad. He said that Anakin has been making his opinion on the war and about the Jedi very clear these last few weeks."

Padme stared at her friend. "Opinion on the Jedi? What opinion?"

"That they can't be trusted." Satine looked away for a moment before turning her blue eyes to Padme. "I don't know what's going on between those two, but if Anakin and Obi-Wan hadn't come, I'm not certain I would be here right now. I'd probably be dead."

They left it at that. It was a few days later that Anakin and Ahsoka, who was still out on patrol with the 501st when Anakin left her to join Obi-Wan to fight for Mandalore, returned to Coruscant for the first time in months. Padme eager awaited for Anakin to come to her, and he did. She ran into his arms and held him as tightly as she could, burying her nose into his neck and breathing him in. She felt the vein there pulse against the tip of her nose. He squeezed her so tight that it almost hurt, but he relaxed a bit a moment later, letting her breath once more. He ran his hands up and down her body, holding her to him. In her ear, he whispered her name again and again and again like a prayer.

That night he didn't leave her side for a moment. They spent the night curled around one another, kissing and touching, engraving themselves in each other's body. The pain, the pleasure, it all flooded together into her mind at once. The night was all about her. It was like he was worshipping her with every breath he took, kissing up and down her body, forcing her to stay in bed while he grabbed water for them or carried her into the shower when she simply couldn't muster the strength to get up and go there herself. He cleaned her body and they lounged in the tub together. Padme was feeling so pampered that she honestly thought Anakin's body was snatched by a changling. He's always been pretty attentive to her, but he was so giving that night that she had to tease him.

"You are the most beautiful, perfect creature in the galaxy, Padme. How could I not cherish you?"

Padme laughed tiredly, leaning back into his arms as the warm water suctioned their bodies together. "You treat me wonderfully, Anakin. I felt the love all along."

Anakin kissed the back of her neck, easily avoiding all the clips holding up her long, drying hair. "You are a true angel, Padme. You are my salvation."

"Salvation?" Padme echoed, relaxing her back against his chest. "From what?"

"Everything," he said. She glanced over her shoulder a bit to look at him and he elaborated. "Obi-Wan has loved Satine for so long and he almost lost her. He almost sacrificed her life for the Jedi teachings. It would have destroyed him. His body would move, and he would talk and preach the Jedi dogma, but he would be gone. He wouldn't be a real person. He would have just become another pawn of the Jedi. He would forsake all of us, for them. I just wanted to show him another path. Something where they could both be happy. Maybe we could all be happy."

Padme smiled faintly. She's not really sure she understands all of what he's saying, but she did appreciate him wanting everyone to be happy. Padme hasn't been able to see much of Satine and Obi-Wan together, but from the bit that she had seen, they appeared pretty close. And Padme knew that Satine favored Obi-Wan despite what she may say. Padme didn't know that Obi-Wan loved Satine, but she believed Anakin when he said it. Anakin would know better than she would when it came to Obi-Wan anyway. Speaking of...

"Ani, are you and Obi-Wan fighting?" Padme asked, relaxing against her husband again.

"No," he said immediately, then hesitated. "Yes. Maybe. I am angry at him but I think that I've found a better way of going about my anger."

Mind whirling, Padme asked, "Why are you mad at Obi-Wan?"

Anakin sighed, wrapping his left hand around her waist to pull her close. "A lot of things. My... view on things was clouded for a long time and I hated Obi-Wan for it, but I am able to see now with clearer eyes who my true enemy is."

Padme's eyebrows pulled together. "I don't understand. Did you have some sort of Force Vision?"

Anakin doesn't respond for a moment before nodding. "Yes. A vision of the future."

"What did you see?" Padme asked, worried.

"The destruction of everyone and everything."

"Padme?" Someone calls out to her.

Padme looks up from where she is sitting in the Senate room. Everyone is piling out of there, all talking anxiously int their pods as they go. She looks down at her communicator to see the time, she's been lost in her thoughts for over an hour and a half. She doesn't remember anything that was said turning the meeting. She was lost in her thoughts the entire time.

She stands slowly, following after Mon and Bail. She feels so cold. So numb.

"Nothing was decided," Mon says, staring at Padme with sad eyes. "We are going to take a recess and hopefully be able to make a decision on how to proceed forward with this."

Bail stops, reaching out and grabbing onto Padme's upper arms. "Padme, I'm so sorry for your loss. I know how much he meant to you. He meant a lot to us too. I'm sorry he's gone." His eyebrows pull together a bit as he stares down at Padme. Her eyes sad and detached. She looks lost. Padme who is always so strong and focused is miles away without uttering a single word since they heard the news.

Padme looks away, feeling the creases form on her forehead. Through the chill and the numbness that has since settled over her for hours, she's starting to feel something akin to absolute agony in her chest. She blinks slowly, trying to stomp it down, ignore the pain as it starts to swell between her ribs. The only other time that she's felt like this was when her Uncle Ono died. She loved him and he was murdered right before her very eyes. He was poisoned to death. He was a good, innocent man who simply wanted what was best for his people.

And now... and now...

"How long is the recess..?" Padme asks, looking back up at Bail.

Bail looks sad. "An hour."

Padme nods, pulling away from her friend, forcing a small, pained smile before walking away. She needed time. She needed to get away even if for just a moment so that she can breathe. She rushes to her office, not having been there since the day before, yet it feels like a lifetime since that moment. Since the last time she was doing monotonous paperwork that never seems to end trying to help the streams of people that go on as far as the eye can see. Yesterday was normal. Yesterday was as simple as it was every day before.

Yesterday, he was here. And today, he's dead and all they know is that Asajj Ventress killed him.

She swings her door open, feeling the burning of her eyes when she spots someone standing by her desk. She blinks and the tears slide down her cheeks as Anakin turns to face her. She holds herself in place, fighting the urge to move until she hears her door shut and the automatic lock clicks into place. A second later she's flying at Anakin, throwing herself into his arms as the tears slide down her face. She cries so hard her body shakes, yet Anakin doesn't seem to mind. He holds onto her tightly, kissing her temple and forehead as she sobs into his shoulder.

"Ani, oh Ani. He's dead."

"I know..." Anakin murmurs, kissing her hairline. "I know..."

"He's the... I can't believe... I... he's... how could he be dead? How could Ventress get in? How could she have gotten to him? How did she kill Chancellor Palpatine?"


	2. Choice

**Author's Note: I am so sorry that it took forever for chapter two to come out for this story! I really do like reading all of your comments, they help push me forward. I like the buzz about this story and I hope that you all continue to enjoy it! I kind of like this idea of Vader moving around the pieces of the galaxy like a chess board behind the scenes. I like how Padme is unintentionally helping him push forward with his plans. Also, I know that this story isn't going to capture the characters as they should be, but I need to change them for the story to work, so please don't message me that they are out of character, I already know that. Let me know what you think, otherwise! Enjoy!**

 **Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

 **Warnings: OOC, unbeta'd, language.**

 **Word Count: 4,603**

She's not sure how long they stood there holding one another as Padme's tears tried up and her cries diminished until she was drained of all of her energy. It felt good to hold him in her arms, to know that at least one person in this galaxy is alive and safe. If she could, if the world would allow it, she would hold tight to him for the rest of her life. She knows she can't. She knows that she needs to keep pressing onward, but it's just too hard right now. She needs a bit of time. She needs Anakin to hold her tight and not let her go.

Preferably ever, but she will accept until she's ready.

She knows that's not reasonable either, but she will want for it now.

Anakin shifts a bit, leaning forward to press his face into her hair and breath her in deep. Padme adjusts her grip, pulling her arms from around his neck to under his arms and around his waist. Her shoulders burn from holding them up over her head for as long as she had.

"I'm not ready to let you go," Padme whispers, turning her head to the side so that she can press herself as close to him as possible.

Anakin squeezes her tightly, kissing at her hairline. "I don't want to either. Feel free to hold onto me forever."

Padme huffs, unable to stop the watery smile from crossing her face. No matter what, he always seems to be able to make her feel better. He doesn't have to put in any effort, either. He just seems to do it as easily as breathing. Having him here, right now, is a relief.

"You were there..." Padme says slowly, hating that she had to know. She has to be able to understand what happened. She has to know what happened in the final moments of her friend's life. She has heard the news about a thousand times since it happened, but Anakin was there with him. She was in the room with him when he died. She just needed to know. As much as she didn't want to, she needed to paint the picture for herself. "What happened, Ani?"

She felt the shift in him, the somberness of the situation killing the attempt at lightheartedness. He runs his hands up and down her back slowly.

"We were talking..." Anakin says slowly. He pulls her closer when she attempts to try and look at his face, probably to hide his pain. "I don't know. It just happened so fast. One moment we were talking, the next... she was there. She killed him in cold blood. I didn't even sense her. She must have used something to cover up her presence in the Force. I have my theories, but I need to do some investigating in that regard."

Padme stops fighting him and just leans against him hard, closing her eyes for a moment. At this point, she is just too mentally exhausted and upset to give it too much thought. If Anakin says he's going to handle it, she will believe him. Anakin always had a way of making everything work out alright. It might not always be the desired ending but it was usually an acceptable one. Especially since Padme always knew he was trying his best in every regard. And his best has always been good enough. Better than she could have asked for.

If he says he's got it, she believes him.

"Do you think that you'll be able to catch her? Ventress, I mean?" Padme asks softly. "Do you think that you'll be able to bring justice to Chancellor Palpatine?"

"Yes," Anakin says assuredly. Padme wishes that she could be as strong as him. He seems so sure, so strong. Maybe if she holds onto him tight enough, she will be able to absorb some of his strength into herself. "I'm coming with you back to the Senate, but then I'm going to be heading out."

Padme's eyebrows pull together. "Why are you coming to the Senate?"

Anakin sighs. "Vice-Chancellor Mas Amedda wanted me to speak with the Senate about my plan to track down Ventress, and _then_ I'll get to actually do it." Anakin rolls his eyes. He runs his hands up and down her back in a very loving manner. Padme practically melts in his arms. She's so tired from crying that she leans heavily against him. Anakin doesn't seem to mind.

"I hate that it's like that..." Padme says softly, sighing into his chest. "But the sooner you find her, the better I will feel about all of this." She hesitates, and Anakin must have sensed it, for he remains quiet until she's built up the strength to whisper, "It won't bring him back, but it will make me feel better knowing that she can't hurt anyone else again."

Anakin kisses the top of her head. "I will. I promise you, Padme. Once I find her, she won't be a problem for us anymore."

* * *

The rest of the Senatorial Recess is spent just sitting on the couch in the side sitting room in her office, resting her head on Anakin's chest, trying not to think about going back into the room and watching as Mas Amedda tries to gain control of the Senate. She knows that he is trying his best and that he is put into an impossible situation, but it makes her miss Palpatine even more. He seemed to effortlessly be able to control the room when he needed to. He let them argue, let them fight, but when it really mattered, he would be able to sway the opinion of the room to his way of thinking.

Sometimes so flippantly, it feels. Like he isn't even really trying.

Padme remembers holding a similar ability when she was Queen. She remembers that feeling well. Whenever she spoke, everyone would grow silent to listen. But maybe that was because she was Queen that they did. Maybe she didn't have the power to control the room like she once prided herself in having. Maybe she still has so much more to learn than she thought.

Padme misses Palpatine.

She remembers the countless hours she spent with him discussing the future of the Republic. They had so many plans. So many good ideas for how they were going to move forward once the war was over. Now he will never see all of the good that they were going to do. That makes Padme feel even worse than she did before. This wasn't how this was supposed to go.

Anakin holding her was the only thing that helped ease her pain until Dorme knocked on the door leading into her office and warned her that it was time for her to return to the Senate Chambers. Padme didn't want to go. She didn't want to be in that room listening to them argue. The childish part of her didn't respond right away when Dorme called for her, but when she called again, Padme knew there was no way to run from it.

"Okay!" Padme calls. "Give me a minute!"

"Yes, Senator," Dorme says through the door before leaving to give her a bit more space.

"So what now?" Anakin asks. "What will the Senate do without a Chancellor?"

Padme sighs, not wanting to think about it. "Vice-Chancellor Mas Amedda will control the Senate and be provided temporary Emergency Powers granted to the Chancellor before him. That is... until a new Chancellor is elected."

Anakin finally allows her to pull back so that they can look at one another. She leans back and brings up one of her hands to the side of her head subconsciously to make sure that her hair was still in place, which it was. "When will that happen? After Ventress is found?"

Padme shakes her head. "No, they won't wait that long. Probably within in the next two or three days, we will hold a vote from a handful of candidates that we will decide on probably today. The Republic can't be without a Chancellor."

Anakin stares past her head, silver-blue eyes flickering back and forth in thought. "And how does the Senate decide the candidates?"

Curious, Padme says, "Popular vote, mostly. A lot of times we accept recommendations from the previous Chancellors, especially if they were very well liked. So unless Chancellor Palpatine did think to put forth his recommendation before or during this way in preparation for the end of his term, then it will just be popular vote amongst three candidates and we will then decide from them. Majority wins."

Anakin hums to himself in thought. Anakin turns to look around the room as if the answer to whatever he was questioning was floating around his head. Padme tilts her head to the side, wondering if he was just going to tell her, but when he catches the look on her face, he simply shakes his head. "Nothing. I'm just wondering if the Chancellor thought to... do that or not."

Padme shrugs her shoulders. "I don't know. If anyone would know, it would probably be Vice-Chancellor Mas Amedda."

Anakin smiles at her. There is a degree of chill to it, no doubt he's still angry about Ventress being able to kill the Chancellor with him being right there in the room. The Chancellor was important to him. Anakin loved Palpatine and Padme is certain that a lot of his anger has come from his inability to protect him. That is Anakin's worse fear. Not being able to protect those that he loved.

"You should go," Anakin says, reaching up to cup her face between his hands.

He moves to stand, helping Padme to her feet and holding onto her hand to help her balance while she slips her flats back onto her feet after she kicked them off when they sat on the couch. Once her shoes are on her feet, she looks back up at Anakin with her eyebrows pulled together tightly. "Aren't you coming to the Senatorial Chambers, too?"

Anakin nods slowly. "Yes. I'll meet you there. I have some things to straighten out before then. I probably won't be able to come to see you before I head out, as I will leave to hunt for Ventress as soon as I leave the Chambers, but I will come back and see you as soon as I can."

Padme nods back, her chest hurting at the thought of having to separate from Anakin. She knows Anakin and knows how he is and how strong he is and that he doesn't need her hovering to be able to look after himself, but she still worries about him. If he gets hurt, or worse, Padme's not sure she would be able to handle it. She might lose her mind. She doesn't want him to go. She knows he has to, he has to catch Ventress, but she can't bear the thought of anything happening to him. She just... hopes that he will be safe.

"Please be careful..." she whispers, hugging him again one more time, hearing Dorme knock on her door again.

"I will," Anakin promises, kissing the top of her head. "Now go. I will see you again as soon as I can." He nods toward the door. "I'll wait until you're all gone before I leave."

Padme nods again slowly. She turns and heads for the door, hating to have to leave Anakin, even if it was only for a little while. She wasn't ready to separate, and he seemed to sense that, walking with her to the door, but stopping out of the way for when she leaves, no one will be able to see him. At this point, Padme doesn't care. She would walk all the way back to the Senate Chambers hanging off his arm and yelling for the galaxy to hear, that he was her husband if it meant that he wouldn't have to leave her.

But she has to separate for now. She can't upturn her life any more than it already has.

Hesitating one more time, Padme turns to Anakin, stepping into his welcoming arms and hugs him tight. Worry and fear clenching her chest like an angry viper around her heart. "Please be careful," she whispers. "Please."

Anakin squeezes her back but doesn't respond. Either he didn't feel the need to respond, or he didn't necessarily hear what she said but did hear her talk, she didn't know. Or really care.

She has to force herself to let him good and step back, pulling her hands to press against her thighs to stop from grabbing onto her husband again. She offers him a paper thin, shaky smile. He leans down and kisses her forehead before stepping back and giving her an encouraging nod. Padme takes a deep breath, turns to the door, and leaves her office.

Dorme, Captain Typho, and her guard fall into step behind her. No one speaks even though Padme knows that Anakin had to go past them to get into her office and that even though she hasn't told any of them about her relationship with Anakin, no doubt Padme's handmaidens and Captain of her guard know about her and Anakin. At least enough to know that they are more than just friends. No one said anything to her, but she has seen the looks they share whenever Anakin came to see her.

They may not have her word as confirmation, but they don't really need it. Padme hasn't told any of them, but not because she doesn't trust them, in fact, if anything, if she was to tell anyone, it would be them, but because she wants them to have plausible deniability. She's not sure that they can necessarily get in trouble for being together, but just in case they can, she wants to keep those that she loves safe.

Now more than ever before.

No, she recognizes this feeling. The same feeling that is coursing through her now was the same as when Corde died. That helpless anger and rage and pain that makes it hard to breathe. She remembers not being able to sleep, her brain thinking back on all the moments that she and Corde shared together and how their last moments could have been different. How she could have saved her friend.

She can already see many sleepless nights before her because of this. Not that she minds. It's a small price to pay for the cost of Palpatine's life. She just wished that he was there with her now. She missed him. He always seemed to know what to do, what to say, to somehow make everything better. Or, at least manageable. And most of the time, that was for the best.

Everything was better with him around.

* * *

"Bail, Mon," Padme says, as she enters into the Senate Chambers, leaving behind her entourage at the entrance. Both her friends look at her, surprised, probably not expecting to see her leave her partial comatose phase. Seeing Anakin helped pull her out of the darkest parts of the place that she was in. She's not out of the woods yet, but seeing him definitely helped stabilize her. She's not sure she's ever going to really be better without Palpatine there to help her, but she isn't going to wallow in pity forever.

She's still in shock, she knows, but this is about the future of the Republic. She can't be half of her mind. She can't stay numb. She has to organize herself. Her people and the rest of the Republic needs to trust that even in a time of crisis that those in a position of power are still trying their absolute hardest to do what best for everyone.

Being in this room is hard. All she can think of is Palpatine. How he should be here, leading the session. This should be just another day of them all arguing about nothing, vying for what little power they can to do what they can. Whether it be in the best interests of the people of the Republic, or for themselves, for those who abuse their power for their own gain. As unfortunate as that is.

"Padme..." Bail says slowly, scooting over a bit so the youngest of the three of them can sit between himself and Mon. "I wasn't sure you were going to come back." Mon gives him a look and he shrugs helplessly.

"I'm sorry," Padme says softly. "I was kind of zoned out this morning. I'm sorry."

"No," Bail says, shaking his head. "Don't be sorry, Padme. You did nothing wrong. You were close to the Chancellor."

"He was your mentor, wasn't he?" Mon asks, eyeing her up and down as Padme crosses her legs and tries to get comfortable. Padme's throat is closing up. She doesn't want to talk about this, so she just nods instead.

Mon reaches out and places her hand over Padme's giving her thin, boney fingers a squeeze as Bail says, "There is no way that this is easy for any of us, let alone you who knew him far better than the rest of us. It's okay to be in pain, Padme. That doesn't just go away after a few hours."

Padme nods again, feeling better that she has her friends with her. She takes solace in their presence. She didn't know what she did to deserve such good friends but she's happy to have them. She may not seem like it now, but she won't do anything to make them feel like they aren't some of the most precious people in her life. She loved them and she needs them to know that.

She can't say the words with her throat closed, but she prays that her eyes are able to convey it to them. Mon and Bail, perhaps her best friends, especially within the Senate. They just got along so well. They viewed the worlds much the same way. They could usually, pretty easily she means, come to common ground on most things. They were the first people within the Senate to see her potential and to treat her like an equal - aside from Palpatine, of course - and she will never forget that for as long as she lives.

This is so hard, though. She really, _really_ doesn't want to be here. She doesn't want to do this. She wants to go back to her apartment and lay in bed and cry until the pain in her chest goes away. But that doesn't help anyone. It doesn't help Palpatine, or the Republic or herself. So she'll sit through these mindless meetings as her fellow Senators poke and prod at Mas Amedda hoping that he will somehow have more news or tell them that this was all just a horrible joke and that Palpatine was fine and he would back in proceedings tomorrow.

She knows that's not going to happen, but she knows that she's going to have this exact thought a thousand more times before fully coming to accept that no matter how much she wishes it weren't true...

No, she can't think about that now. She just can't believe it. She wants more than anything for it to all be some sort of sick joke.

Her awareness was only momentary before she zoned back out again. Stuck in this zombie-like mood where she was alive and her body was moving, but her thoughts fluctuated from being so lost in her thoughts that she travels back in time from thought to thought, or she stops thinking entirely and when she momentarily cuts back into her body, a huge chunk of time has gone by.

Vice-Chancellor Mas Amedda had a bit of new news on how Ventress had managed to get passed security - her skills as an assassin as if none of them could have guessed that - but they also suspected inside help. There was a very good chance that someone on the inside helped Asajj Ventress slip passed security seeing as she was met with almost no resistance.

News of a threat against the Chancellor's life just moments before the attack triggered a safety protocol within the clones' training that had them spread out and search for threats. By the mere moments in between two layers of sweeps from the clones, Ventress had slipped into their perimeter and into the Chancellor's office and killed him.

She hadn't expected Knight Skywalker to be there and in her haste, she managed to knock Anakin back, kill the Chancellor and flee for her life. Straight into the bowels of Coruscant.

That's when Anakin was brought in to tell them what his plan was. He mobilized the 501st as well as two more legions stationed on Coruscant to head deeper into the underbelly of the city to start their search. Anakin offered himself up - or more notably denied anyone the opportunity to oppose his place in the search - to lead the investigation for Asajj Ventress. Until she was found, Coruscant was under lockdown. No one was allowed in or out no matter what. They could only keep a planet like Coruscant under lockdown for a few days, but hopefully, with everyone out looking, they would be able to hold off long enough to find her before the lockdown fell apart around them.

Anakin seemed both optimistic, and angry. She can't blame him for how he feels, but he also needed to be that to win the support of all of the Senate. They turn to him with large, scared eyes as the Hero without Fear. He was going to save them all. Nevermind he wasn't able to save the Chancellor. It wasn't about that. He might not have saved him for the hundredth time his life was endangered, but they all know, or at least they all believed, that only Anakin would be able to avenge him. Anakin was their Hero. If anyone could avenge their beloved Chancellor killed before his time; it was Anakin Skywalker.

He would bring order back to the chaos. He would save them all.

* * *

Padme was right, two days after Anakin began his search down in the lower levels of Coruscant to look for Ventress, they held a vote on who should take the place of Chancellor Palpatine. Elections would be held on who would become the new Chancellor of the Republic. She knew that this day was going to come and she knew that no matter what she wouldn't be ready for it. Even if they waited ten years. No one is going to seem good enough for the job in Palpatine's place. No one could match up to him.

Sure, he wasn't perfect, but there was something special about the way he handles things, about the way he controlled the crowd. He was teaching her beyond her Queenly training, but she's not sure anything short of decades playing in the political minefield would be able to aptly prepare someone for a position as prestigious and important as the Chancellor of the Republic.

These last few days between Anakin going off to help search for Ventress and now have been hard. Padme didn't attempt to call him to get an idea of how it was going, just waited for the reports to come in of sectors cleared through with a fine-toothed comb. She didn't want to bother him, distract him from his work, as she doubts that he was going to stop before he found Ventress or someone made him rest.

But these days haven't been easy. She has been in and out of her zombie state these last few days. She didn't sleep at night, just sat in bed and stared out her window as the speeders flew by, watching the lights as they zoom by. After hours of staring, when her lower back and shoulders hurt so bad from sitting up without any form of support, she would lay down with her head turned toward the window and continue to watch. She closed her eyes and finally slipped to sleep sometime around dawn.

She was awakened an hour or two later to start her day.

The same with the following day, but she had managed to sneak a nap in before this meeting. It did little to cure the perpetual exhaustion that seems to be hanging over her like a dark cloud. She can see that same cloud floating around her friends too. Those that were close to the Chancellor, too. This is so hard to do. She just keeps thinking that she is going to wake up from this horrible nightmare.

Padme was so lost in her thoughts that she hadn't even realized that the meeting had started until Mon reached out and gripped Padme's hand hard. She blinks a few times, looking up to the central projection in time to see a huge blue figure of Palpatine staring down at them. Her heart leaps up into her throat and ears sharpen until she can hear through the roaring of blood in her ears.

"Hello, my friends," Palpatine says, interlacing his fingers together in the projection and offering his usual closed-lipped smile. "If you are watching this then hopefully that means that I made it through my final term as Chancellor and managed to slip away to some unregistered world to live out the rest of my days on the beach front enjoying the scenery and not... the alternative." He looks down for a moment considering before continuing, "I'm hoping that all is well with everyone and that our glorious Republic has made it through these trying times. I know how the formalities are so I shall cast my vote now... just in case."

Padme's free hand, the one not trapped in the Mon's vice grip, is brought up to her mouth, partially covering it. She can't believe it. She can't...

"He thinks of everything, doesn't he?" Bail asks beside Padme, shaking his head slowly. He, like everyone else, seems unable to pull his eyes away from the projected image of the late Chancellor Palpatine.

"I guess so," Mon mumbles.

"So I've thought long and hard about this," Palpatine continues, "and I think the only person that I can think of that would be able to take my place in helping to build a new and prosperous Republic could be no one else, but my closest friend, ally and the person who taught me as much about being both a good person and a good politician. My vote is for the bravest woman I know," he smiles again, this time his eyes somehow seeming to find her own, even though they aren't even in the same moment as one another, "Senator Padme Amidala."


	3. The Queen's Mask

**Author's Note: So sorry for the long wait! I am so happy to hear from everyone! You guys really do inspire me to keep pushing on. I do really like this story and I hope that everyone else is still enjoying it too. Thank you all for being so sweet to me! I am really sorry about the wait! I am so sorry about the wait! Between work and family, I haven't been able to write as much as I want to, but I'm still trying. I promise. Let me know what you think! Enjoy!**

 **Warning: Talk of death, oocness, unbeta'd.**

 **Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

Padme isn't sure what she expected. Maybe yells of outrage or denial. But the deathly silence was almost too much to take. She wanted to run from the room, un-hear what she heard, and start this day over as if it hadn't happened only for this moment to have never happened. If her limbs hadn't simultaneously both locked up and turned to jelly, she would have run from this room all the way to her apartment and cried for the rest of her life. But she was stuck, frozen in place as people try to make sense of what they heard.

The shock of hearing Palpatine's voice after still being in shock over his death kept a lot of people paralyzed for a moment but then hearing that he had the foresight to choose someone as his vote for future Chancellor has left the people in the room feeling like they have been thrown around for a doozy. Padme realizes that she's not breathing when her chest starts to hurt and she has to force herself to suck in a deep breath to ease the pain in her lungs.

Slowly, in unison, Bail and Mon look at the younger Senator between the two of them with equally surprised and disbelieving looks on their faces. Obviously, neither of them suspected that Padme would be Chancellor Palpatine's vote either. While Padme was close to the Chancellor and had known him most of her life, she was also aware that he had many friends in the Senate, many people who knew him longer than she did, and even better than she did. She also knew that there were droves of people far more qualified for the position of Chancellor than she.

Padme went into this with the mindset of hearing people out and choosing who she believed would be the best candidate for the job. None of them guessed that the Chancellor would have thought to record his decision in preparation for the end of the war partly because he was worried that he may not live to see the end of it, but it also seemed that - while said in jest - a part of him may have sprinted from office the moment that the declaration of peace was signed. And while Padme knew that he jokingly said he couldn't wait for this war to end so that he could retire somewhere no one would ever be able to find him so his waning years could be peaceful and stress free, she also knew that he would stay on for as long as the Republic needed him to.

So many people have died around Padme in the course of this war, and yet somehow the Chancellor was able to hold steadfast through it all that he seemed invincible. Padme assumed, naively, that he would live forever.

Losing him was so hard, but now hearing that he hoped that Padme would take up the mantle for him once he was finished left her feeling a maelstrom of emotions she's not sure how to put into words. She felt honored, yes, but she also felt terrified and confused. If Padme could choose anyone in the galaxy that she believed would be a great Chancellor other than Palpatine, she would have chosen someone older than her with more experience in the political field on a galactic scale. She would have picked someone like Bail Organa.

In fact, if she was being honest, she heard whispers of other people thinking the same thing. Bail's name was on a lot of people's lips. He was experienced, influential, powerful and well respected. He was just like Palpatine was almost thirteen years ago when he was elected to the position of Chancellor. Padme honestly thought that Bail was perfect for the job.

Bail, on the other hand, didn't appear to agree as whole-heartedly with everyone else. He trusted himself to be fair and concise but when asked if he would vie for the position if given the choice, he said, "No. I don't think that I am what is best for the galaxy. I will do my best for it, but I'm not sure that I am the one that they need."

Padme couldn't disagree more. She felt that Bail and Palpatine were a lot alike in how they handled things and their views seemed pretty similar. Padme felt that he would be perfect for the job. He would have her vote in a heartbeat. Mon seemed to agree as well as some of their other allies. Who was she kidding, almost all, if not all of them, all seem to agree that Bail was ideal for the job, in their eyes.

But Palpatine didn't choose Bail as his candidate. He chose Padme. And stunned Padme couldn't for the life of her figure out why.

And then, suddenly, it was like everyone was staring at her. All of her fellow senators seem to be able to pick her out of a crowd. In the middle of debates, she would kill to have their absolute attention as she does now, but at this exact moment, she wishes that she could sink into the ground and vanish forever. This isn't what she wants, at all.

She can't even think about what this means. She thinks that Palpatine was wrong. She isn't the one that should pick up the mantle and finish what he started.

* * *

"Senator?"

Padme blinks a few times, turning to look over her shoulder to see Obi-Wan standing in the middle of her living room. Dorme is standing next to him, her face twisted into one of worry. She and Obi-wan share a look before she bows her head slowly, and slips out of the room. She wants to say something, probably ask if Padme was alright or if she needed anything but decided that it was probably best to leave Padme be with her friend for a bit. It may do her some good. Obi-Wan stuffs his hands into his sleeves and tilts his head slightly, staring back at her.

Padme walks off of the terrace overview of the city and back into the living room and around the furniture so that she's standing in front of the Jedi Master. She offers a thin smile.

"Hi, Obi-Wan... I wasn't expecting you to come to visit. I... honestly hadn't known that you had returned to Coruscant," Padme says, trying to be pleasant. She can hear the lack of energy in her own voice but she hopes that even if the older man notices, he won't comment on it. She's not sure she can keep up the pleasant act for long.

"I apologize for not reaching out to you sooner," Obi-Wan says slowly. "I was called back planetside in the wake of the death of the Chancellor. I was helping Anakin down in the lower city, but I was called back to the temple yesterday. I happened to have been in the Senate Chambers when the Chancellor's message was played. I wanted to speak to you in private but didn't want to crowd you. I figured you would be booked for the next week while the Senate tries to decide how to proceed."

"I think everyone is a bit shell shocked and trying to figure out how to do just that," Padme says slowly. "After the message was played many members of my delegations, specifically the larger ones, closed rank around me. My allies became like a shield. My largest being just about two thousand Senators. To be honest had you not been both a Jedi and a friend, you probably wouldn't have been able to get in here."

Obi-Wan nods slowly, rubbing at his beard and mustache. "Yes, I get that feeling. Well, it was fortunate that we were able to talk." He hesitates for a moment, staring into her pretty brown eyes with light blue ones of his own. Finally, he says, "Are you alright, Senator? I know that the Chancellor was a good friend and very important to you."

Padme nods, struggling to swallow the lump in her throat. "Yes. I'm fine. It's hard, but I'm trying to get through this." Padme sighs, rubbing at her forehead before admitting, with a slight pitch to her throat. "I think he was misplaced in choosing me."

For a moment, it looked like Obi-Wan wasn't sure what she was talking about before it seemed to come to him. "Oh, no. No, you're wrong, Senator Amidala. You can't think about things like that. I may not like politicians in the least, nor do I trust them, but I know you. And I trust you too. I know because there is more to you than being a politician. You genuinely care about people. You expend so much time and energy into helping people that even if I thought all politicians were corrupt, I wouldn't have to worry about you as a person."

Padme feels her eyebrows pull together tightly, trying to make sense of what he's saying. "Thank you?"

Obi-Wan waves his hands around, stepping closer to her as he tries to organize his thoughts in a way that she would be able to understand. He takes a moment, and when he's ready, he looks down into her eyes and says, "Listen, Senator, whatever feelings I may have, I honestly think that you would be good for the galaxy. Perhaps I've been listening to Anakin too much but I know that you would be both just and fair. Honest and kind. Strict and strong. The galaxy will need someone like that, especially if we are to both unify and rebuild once this war is over."

Padme knows that Obi-Wan is trying to make her feel better, and in some ways, he is, but she's not sure she's in the sort of emotional slump that kinds words can pull her out of. She feels lost, and hurt and sad. She knows that she's probably still in shock over his initial death, but now with all of this going on, she's not sure she can hold herself together, let alone the entire galaxy.

Seeing the hesitation on her face, Obi-Wan asks softly, "What are you going to do? If they choose not to nominate any other Senators and elect you, what would you do?"

Padme shakes her head, sitting down on the arm of her couch feeling tired and defeated. "I don't know. What if there is someone more suited for the job than me who gets looked past because of this?" She looks up at Obi-Wan, hoping for some guidance from him. Obi-Wan may be only a few years older than her, but she can see by looking into his eyes that he has the soul of an old wise man. Always seemed too, even back when they first met during the occupation of Naboo.

Quietly, Obi-Wan asks, "Do you honestly think there is? Do you honestly think, with all your heart, that if you pass up this moment, you won't regret it for the rest of your life? That you won't second guess every decision the other person makes for the entirety of their term? Can you do that?"

No, honestly, knowing herself, Padme would never stop wondering. She would never stop scrutinizing each and every choice someone else would make, especially when she knew that it should have been her there, had she been stronger. She was confident and sure in all of her decisions as Queen of Naboo. But she didn't dwell on the actions of those that have come after because it isn't her place any longer. Her people offered her a third term, against their own laws, and she denied it because it was time for her to finish ruling Naboo and for it to pass on.

Her reign ended in her last term. She didn't feel it was necessary for it to continue passed what was required. She did everything that she could with the allotted time. It was just how she compartmentalized. She would rule as Chancellor for hopefully the two terms and would step down as soon as it was up. That was the time she was allowed to make her difference and she had to hope that all of her choices were the best that they could be given the situation.

Did she ever wonder what it could have been like if she had stayed on Naboo and continued reigning as Queen? Sure. What if when she finished her third term, they asked for a forth? A fifth? A sixth? What if fifty years went by and she was still ruling as Queen? What if it wasn't because she was oppressive and people thought they had no other choice, but they continued to ask her because they simply thought that she was the best choice?

Nothing flattered Padme more in the world than being asked to stay. Never before had another monarch been asked for a third term since the law was put in place. She spent a lot of time in the remaining months thinking about what she wanted to do. If she was ready to let go or if she was even able to. Padme is such a busy body and a control freak that it's hard to simply let things go. It took her up until the last moment before she decided that Naboo didn't need her to stand at the helm for it to be successful. She spent plenty of time afterward sifting through the candidates for the monarchy to ensure that her legacy lives on in the younger generation.

Could she ignore this if it was offered to her?

Padme, knowing herself, wouldn't be able to turn it down. She can't believe this has happened, but she can't deny that her mind wasn't already racing on how to push forward and help more people. She felt almost powerless as a Senator, but it would be different as a Chancellor. She could do so much more to help people. But that nagging little voice in the back of her head won't let her pretend that it isn't hurting her to think about taking the position from a dead man that she greatly admired. She just didn't know what to do.

"No," Padme finally admits softly. "I don't think that I could ignore this opportunity. But that's only if it were in any other situation. This is just... too much. I don't know what to do."

Obi-Wan considers for a moment, listening calmly to the desperation in her voice, begging for his advice and guidance. Softly, he says, "I can't tell you what to do, Senator, it's not my place. All I can do is hope that I can help you clear up any doubt you may have and hope that it leads you to where you must be. I feel that you are at a crossroads, Padme. Either choice leads to tremendous actions although it isn't clear if one is better than the other in the long run."

"What if I'm not the best person for the job?" Padme asks brokenly, feeling weak and hurt and tired.

"What if you are?" Obi-Wan asks back, staring into her eyes calmly.

Padme stares back at him for a long time, trying to organize her thoughts. "What will happen to the galaxy if I become Chancellor?" Padme asks, softly, thinking about how emotional she is right now. How hurt she is. How unsure she is about how to proceed. She won't shut down forever, she knows this, but it's still hard to swallow everything going on. And the galaxy needs someone who can stand and fight for it now. It can't afford to wait until tomorrow.

"What will happen to the galaxy if you don't?" Obi-Wan asks, folding his hands neatly in front of him. Padme sighs, staring back at him with exasperated eyes forcing him to add, "I can't tell you what to do, Padme. What I can tell you is this; I'm observant by nature. I listen to people around me all the time and people love you. People look to you as a shining example of what a Senator should be. Your popularity is through the roof and people think that you are someone to look up to. Your strength comes from your willingness to help people for the sake of helping people. It's a rare kindness that can't be taught. You have the skills and even if it is for a single term and nothing more, I think that you will do great things for the people. Which in the end, should be what matters, right?"

Padme nods slowly, letting out a little sigh. "I know... I just..." she reaches up and rubs at the back of her head. "I suppose all I would be asked to do - if I am chosen for this - would be to finish Chancellor Palpatine's term and after that, we can hold elections again."

Obi-Wan nods. "Very true. Help us through to the end of the war, and once it is and you return Executive Power to the Senate, then your obligation is over. From there, you can either be elected for your official first term, or you can continue your life as a Senator or whatever else catches your fancy." He shrugs his shoulders. "I suppose that's up to you to decide."

Padme considers for a long time, not having thought about it that way. Once the recess that they are in is over, the Senate will decide whether they want to nominate anyone else for the run or hand the office over to Padme for the time being and then they can get to work. This was a lot to digest and they were given a three-hour recess, but Padme feels like a lifetime has passed from when she heard that Palpatine chose her and she left the Senate Chambers to go to her apartment to try and decompress.

"I suppose I'll have to really think about it," Padme admits, finally pulling herself together again.

Obi-Wan nods. "Well, I wish you the best, Senator. Know that the Jedi are on your side in whatever you decide." That was a relief to hear, and it must have shown on her face because Obi-Wan offers her a small smile. "I'm sorry to run off, but I must be getting back. Anakin is still in the lower city of Coruscant hunting for Ventress and I must report back to the Council and then make my way back down there to help him."

Padme shakes her head, pushing herself off the arm of the couch to her feet. "No, please don't let me keep you. Thank you for stopping by to talk with me, Obi-Wan, I do appreciate it. And... keep an eye out for Anakin and for yourself. Stay safe, please."

"We will be careful, Senator. Take care." With that, he bows his head respectfully before turning and leaving.

As Obi-Wan is leaving Dorme is poking her head back in. She tips her head to the Jedi Master as he walks back before stepping into the room and turning her own dark eyes toward the young Senator. "My lady? A few Senators are here to speak with you. Of which, Senators Organa and Mothma are among them. Would you like for me to let them in?"

Padme nods, standing up and smoothing her dress out and hold her head high. "Yes, Dorme, please. Let them in."

* * *

"Once everyone finishes casting their vote, I will be able to announce the next Chancellor of our great Republic," Mas Amedda says, addressing the entirety of the Senate. He pauses for a second before continuing, "I would like to take a moment before I announce our new Chancellor so that we may remember Chancellor Sheev Palpatine. He was a great man. The shoes he left behind will be hard to fill but I am confident that this situation will make us all stronger. Chancellor Palpatine would want us to be."

Padme, having been exempt from voting as she is one of the candidates, has to lower her head for a moment to catch her breath. She, as well as Bail and the other Senator that were nominated, are all set aside on a platform connected to Mas Amedda's so that whichever one is elected, they will be able to immediately address the Senate, and the galaxy. Padme's pretty dark eyes find the cameras floating around the room, broadcasting this meeting all across the galaxy for everyone to watch, live.

Padme forces herself to ignore the apprehension twisting in her gut. She promised herself before she came back from recess that she would be strong. She would try and remember what is the most important part of this situation; she can still do good for people. She can look past her own pain and fears to help others. That was one of her greatest skills. She was able to easily hone in on problems around her and forget about what was going on inside her.

Anakin always hated when she did that, but it was always so much easier to worry about everyone else than worry about what was going on in her heart and mind. She just didn't like to deal with it. Not when the problem lies with her. Or maybe that is just a problem all on its own. Who knows?

In the fleeting moments, while everyone voted, Padme's eyes find that of Bail. Before coming here, he stayed behind once everyone else left her apartment and made their way back to the Senatorial Chambers so that the two of them could talk privately. The gentle, more compassionate side of Padme always seemed to be so in sync with Bail They saw the galaxy much the same way. They saw it as their sole duty to do what is right for their people and do good by everyone else. They believed that diplomacy should always be the first option and that mercy should always be kept in mind, regardless of the situation.

Mon is a very close friend to Padme, and the more militant side of Padme falls in line perfectly with Mon but there was just something about Padme's bond to Bail that made her feel like she could tell him anything. She could tell him everything and he wouldn't judge her or think less of her. He was like an older brother figure that always seemed to not only have her back but always have her best intentions in mind.

Losing Palpatine was a shock for all of them and while she tried not to make it seem like she was milking it for whatever it was worth, she knew that she could be vulnerable and weak to Bail. He would always understand and be compassionate when she desperately needed it.

Bail asked her how she was and if there was anything that he could do for her, the usual stuff. Naturally, she informed him that she would be okay and that she was just trying to wrap her mind around what happened and would eventually be back to normal. He seemed to accept that, nodding to both of them but then he put his hands on her shoulders, looked her dead in the eye and told her that all they could do was keep pushing on. They were alive and strong and could keep moving forward. Those that were lost of the course of this war didn't deserve to be forgotten, but they wouldn't want progress towards a better future to be halted either.

"So long as we are alive, we owe it to those that aren't to justify our right to live on. We can move forward toward another day so we should make the best of it and ensure, to the best of our abilities that others do the same," Bail had said, offering her a thin smile before squeezing her shoulders tightly, reassuringly, and then pulling away.

Padme didn't know what to say, but if she ended up not becoming Chancellor, she would vote for Bail in a heartbeat. Padme thinks that he will always be near and dear in her heart.

Bail offers her a thin smile, reaching out to take her hand and giving it a squeeze. No matter what, they were in this together. They seemed to always be the other's biggest supporter. Padme can't see that changing any time soon. Especially is Padme is voted as Chancellor of the Republic, she knew exactly who she was going to elect as her Vice-Chancellor. But he didn't have to know that yet. Although he may already suspect it. Padme values his opinion and his guidance too much not to give the position to him.

"And the vote is in," Mas Amedda says, pulling Padme from her thoughts, "and it is clear, the next Chancellor of the Republic and take up the mantle Sheev Palpatine has left behind will be none other than the Senator of Naboo Padme Amidala."

The applause is almost immediate. Padme had to take a moment to remember how to breathe. She still wanted to run away and bury her head in the sand, but she promised herself that she was going to face this and make the best of it, however, she could. She wasn't going to let this opportunity go to waste and she wasn't going to let Palpatine down now that he was no longer with them to offer his support and guidance. She was going to do her best and hope that he would approve.

Bail pulls his hand away so that he could stand and clap alongside the rest in the Senate. Padme's sure not everyone is happy and cheering, but Padme can't see anyone who isn't at least clapping respectfully, even if she wasn't their first choice.

The cameras all seem to zoom right into her face and Padme can feel her muscles along her forehead and in the corners of her mouth pull taught and she has to go back in time to her training as Queen. The mask that the Queen always wore. The white make-up was part of it, to help keep them safe should they need to switch places with a body double, but it also was to help them remember to keep a straight, stoic face, no matter what was happening around them or what was being said. They couldn't forget their composure.

 _She_ couldn't forget her composure.

Remembering that feeling only took a moment and easily enough the mask of the Noobian Queen was over her face as Padme forced all of her emotions swirling around inside of her like an angry maelstrom away for passive stoicism, she stood up slowly and gracefully. She walked up to Mas Amedda as he offered applause that seemed genuine and stepped up to face the Senate.

Padme waits a moment for everyone to quiet down, realizing she hadn't even thought about what to say. There was no speech planned and no one wanted flowery sentiments. So Padme spoke with her heart, but with the mask of the Queen in place.

"Thank you, everyone. I would like to say that this moment is a joyous and glorious one, but it isn't. This moment rides on the back of one of great loss and tragedy," Padme says, her voice sounding strong but stoic. Her queen voice. "With Chancellor Palpatine gone someone must rule the Republic, especially in this time of war. We need to remain steady and keep pushing onward. We cannot get back those that we lost, but we can still band together and make the galaxy a better place for those that are still here. Even with the tough decisions ahead that will test our faith, our conviction, our dedication, and our hearts, we must hold strong and push onward. There can be peace in the galaxy. And there will. The first step is now, here in this room. I swear to all of you, my fellow Senators, and to you," Padme turns her sharp brown eyes to the nearest camera as it zooms in just a touch closer, "the great and wonderful people of the galaxy, and yes, I mean all of you. Republic, Separatists and Neutrals. We all have the right to live in a galaxy of peace. And that all starts now."


End file.
